January 30th, 2013. I walked out.

A few months prior I had decided my desk job just wasn’t cutting it. There was little unpredictability, little adventure, a small amount of free time and a ton of emails. Not that I had a horrible job. In the realm of possible careers, being a software salesperson was not a bad gig. There were clients to appease but in the world of technology, many are less savvy and being an “expert” sure has its upsides. I enjoyed taking my time to deliver valuable information to assist clients. Sometimes that delay, that laziness on my part would actually turn a problem into urgency creating a sale which in turn fattened my wallet and the companies. Crazy world this is. The big problem was that I just didn’t care. Didn’t care about the technology, the job or the money. I must have spent 80% of my paid salary time visualizing what I’d rather be doing. That was skiing.

The way I see it, there are dreams, visualization, action, and reality. Skiing had always been something I had been immensely obsessed with since I was 13. Large amounts of my life were spent watching ski movies, training to go skiing, and learning how I can become a professional skier. The idea consumed me.  While I pursued college and a career, I never let go of that idea. I always trained harder and harder. I raced in triathlons to stay in shape and had a trampoline on my front lawn in the center of the college campus. Every stride and bounce was one step closer to skiing.

Six years later.

Tired of excuses. Tired of trying to please everyone. Tired of not having done what I always believed I would do. Life sure gives you silly reasons to be someone you’re not. My mom always says “it’s a process” and she sure couldn’t be more right. I tend to think every decision we make is very conscious one evaluating the pros and cons, short and long term outcomes, at least with the given knowledge we already have. I guess it just took me a little longer to put it all together and make my dream a reality… and I always say “better late than never.”

This winter has been an eye opener for me. I’ve spent a few weeks behind the lens of a camera and traveling to new places in the Utah backcountry and up in Jackson, WY. I’m looking forward to more spring adventures to California and Whistler, BC. Skiing is the culumnation of my three passions in life, fitness, the outdoors, and traveling. The more I ski, the more I can participate in what I love. I hope my stories inspire others to gravitate towards their passions.

No more watching the powder days slip by.